Easter

When we first moved to the Netherlands we briefly stayed in the southern province of Limburg, until my parents found a home in the city of Haarlem in northwest Holland. This meant that for a while we lived in a tiny village very close to my aunt and uncle and a whole bunch of cousins.

To welcome us, our family had festively decorated our entire house. It was Easter, and Limburgers sure know how to celebrate their Catholic holidays.

My sister and I didn’t know where to look first. What a sight! On the table there was an enormous bunch of flowering branches with Easter eggs dangling from them. I believe I found this even more beautiful than a Christmas tree. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. As children in Ireland we had been bombarded with gigantic chocolate eggs, preferably wrapped in colorful foil with plastic bows tied around them, each egg containing a surprise. But the tree of decorated Easter eggs and other traditions were all new to us.